Introduction: Illness script theory offers explanations for expert-novice differences in clinical reasoning. However, it has mainly focused on diagnostic (Dx) performance, while patient management (Mx) has been largely ignored. The aim of the present study was to show the role of Mx knowledge in illness script development and how it relates to…

A program of seminars designed to explore student perceptions of the emotional and psychological aspects of physician-patient interactions, part of a clinical diagnosis course, used graduate medical students to act as patients in videotaped interviews, interview evaluations, and lectures and demonstrations on interpersonal communication skills.…

Medical students in a course that included instruction in patient interviewing participated in an experiment devised to alert them to sources of bias that might influence their judgments and management of patients. Suggestions are made for incorporating such sensitization experiments in the medical curriculum. (Author/LBH)

Venipuncture is the single most commonly performed procedure that causes pain to the patient, and its mastery is a highly visible milestone both in physical skills and personal manner. A training program at Georgetown University Hospital is described. (MLW)

Some of the differences between in-hospital and ambulatory medicine and their implications for the teaching and practice of ambulatory care are explored. The availability of time, the role of patient cooperation, and the decision-making process differ in the two settings. (MLW)

A one-month, elective fourth-year medical school course in advanced physical diagnosis is described. The course featured organ-specific didactic and interactive practice sessions, physical examination-based case conferences, professorial rounds with use of professional patients, and objective structured clinical examinations. (Author/MSE)

A year-long interdisciplinary continuity-of-care elective for second-year, preclinical students in a medically underserved inner-city neighborhood is described. Students were able to learn the skills needed to implement and evaluate long-term health care and to assess the cost effectiveness of various approaches to such care. (MLW)